Romulan Liaison

In S7, instead of Senator Cretak who would've liked to have seen T'Rul return?

She could come back as a semi-regular (more than just Cretak's three episodes) making her return just after the Empire entered the war, served as the liaison between the Romulan fleet and their allies, now holding the rank of Commander.

I would have loved to have seen how Worf and Martok would work with her, plus it would allow for some Romulan story telling other than them being the sneaky and devious badguys they are almost always portrayed as.

Was T'Rul anything more than a technician, though? She was sent to babysit a cloak, and probably ferry intelligence reports to the Empire. What about that job suggests she would rise to a higher rank that would lead her to being a liaison coordinating military activity?

I would've liked some Romulan equivalent to Martok. Creetak only appeared twice, with different actors. Beyond that every time Romulan forces were involved there was just a guest star of the week with no substance. T'Rul, might have been interesting.

I liked T'Rul and Martha Hackett enough that I could forgive using a convoluted backstory to bring her back to DS9. I liked Cretak, too. Either way, I think it would have been nice to have a semi-regular Romulan character.

I liked both characters and also would have loved having one as a regular recurring role in s7. In addition to everything that's been said, I just think having another female around would have been a breath of fresh air. And yes, there were 2 Cretaks, but one of them was a FAAAKE!

Was T'Rul anything more than a technician, though? She was sent to babysit a cloak, and probably ferry intelligence reports to the Empire. What about that job suggests she would rise to a higher rank that would lead her to being a liaison coordinating military activity?

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She held the rank of sub-commander, so she was clearly more than a technician.

And if Sub-Commander is one step below Commander (which appears to be a standard starship CO rank) in the Romulan system, then her rank would essentially be the same as Sisko's at the beginning of the show - high enough for a fairly commanding position that would probably involve proficiency at multiple fields. Perhaps even too high to be of dramatic use?

A Romulan character would have been a nice addition when the show went Defiant-centric. Possibly difficult to write for, though, as "The heroes suspect she is scheming behind their backs" gets old pretty fast; Garak already fills that niche anyway; and moving on to a more generic role for T'Rul would just water down the character.

So, IMHO, much better to have her return in S7 or S6 than have her as a semi-regular... But that doesn't say much yet, and any return would have to be heavily justified when the show was already crowded with characters.

A Romulan character would have been a nice addition when the show went Defiant-centric. Possibly difficult to write for, though, as "The heroes suspect she is scheming behind their backs" gets old pretty fast; Garak already fills that niche anyway; and moving on to a more generic role for T'Rul would just water down the character.

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I have nothing to support this, but I wonder if there was some discussion about writing Garak off the show in lieu of T'Rul. I can't imagine why that would be, but if DS9's producers ever thought about using Martha Hackett for more episodes, Garak would seem to be the odd man out.

OTOH, maybe T'Rul could have played the Eddington role and eventually joined the Maquis, betraying both Starfleet and her own people to join the terrorist group. Even knowing about the Romulans' enmity toward most humans, it's not hard to picture her empathizing with Federation colonists who feel like they've been left to fend for themselves against the Cardassians.

If nothing else, it would have been a riot to see how she got along with Worf after he joined the cast. To have a Klingon, a Cardassian, and a Romulan aboard DS9 would have been interesting.

Was T'Rul anything more than a technician, though? She was sent to babysit a cloak, and probably ferry intelligence reports to the Empire. What about that job suggests she would rise to a higher rank that would lead her to being a liaison coordinating military activity?

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She held the rank of sub-commander, so she was clearly more than a technician.

--Sran

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Why? At best it might make her the equivalent of Geordi LaForge, an expert on the technology side of things, but not necessarily groomed for command and diplomacy.

Why? At best it might make her the equivalent of Geordi LaForge, an expert on the technology side of things, but not necessarily groomed for command and diplomacy.

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That's not what I meant. My point is that as she'd clearly achieved a rank of some significance, she likely attended the Romulan Imperial War College and would have more than just a technician's background. Otherwise, she'd never have earned an officer's commission. She wouldn't have to be an expert in diplomacy or command to understand the cloak, but she would need to know enough about the cloak and how it interfaced with Federation technology to use it properly. I wouldn't expect a mere technician to know that much.

In any case, I don't think a species as paranoid as the Romulans would trust such an important piece of technology to someone who boasted only a small amount of authority.

Why not? Maybe T'Rul was suspect politically, and they sent her with an obsolete cloak to test her loyalty. Maybe they were even afraid anyone they sent to a babysit the cloak would defect, so sent someone unimportant with old equipment.

Anyway, I don't see why the rank of "sub-commander" has to mean she's a person of any importance in the military. It could've been a bonus given as an incentive for her to go play with the enemy.

Why not? Maybe T'Rul was suspect politically, and they sent her with an obsolete cloak to test her loyalty. Maybe they were even afraid anyone they sent to a babysit the cloak would defect, so sent someone unimportant with old equipment.

Anyway, I don't see why the rank of "sub-commander" has to mean she's a person of any importance in the military. It could've been a bonus given as an incentive for her to go play with the enemy.

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I see what you mean. But what I keep coming back to is her behavior throughout the episode. Even an obsolete cloak with have held some value for the Federation, as they had no cloaking technology beyond what Pressman illegally developed on the Pegasus. T'Rul doesn't allow any Defiant crew members near it, yet she willingly divulges secrets that the Romulans have never shared with Starfleet, something I wouldn't think a person with only limited authority would be allowed to do.

OTOH, it's possible that she was sent not only to watch the cloak but also to gather her own intelligence about the Dominion. As far as we know, she was the first Romulan to encounter any Dominion member species. It makes the most sense for the Romulans to send someone who would be capable of observing their new enemy for weakness and reporting back her findings to her people. She may have gotten a bump in rank as an enticement, but I still don't think she'd have been used unless her superiors found her useful.

If T'Rul was something more than a technician, then she'd have to be someone highly trusted by her superiors. She has to balance revealing enough info to the Feds that she seems cooperative, but not so much that she seems too friendly with the enemy. She has to serve the Empire's interests without being too suspicious about doing so, both to Starfleet and to the Empire.

At any rate, I don't see why T'Rul would be returned to DS9 as a Cretak-type liasion. That's an incredible jump in position. T'Rul was a mid-career officer in the military. Cretak was a Senator. Maybe T'Rul could've been an aide to Cretak.

That's actually a good idea and one the writers should have pursued. Aside from Cretak, we were treated to any number of "Romulan of the Week" characters who didn't stick around for more than an episode. Having Hackett return as T'Rul would have been a nice touch as it would have meant including a familiar character and also helped to bring the Dominion arc full circle by having her present for the end of the conflict that began, really, with her serving aboard the Defiant four years earlier.

Was T'Rul anything more than a technician, though? She was sent to babysit a cloak, and probably ferry intelligence reports to the Empire. What about that job suggests she would rise to a higher rank that would lead her to being a liaison coordinating military activity?

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She held the rank of sub-commander, so she was clearly more than a technician.

--Sran

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Why? At best it might make her the equivalent of Geordi LaForge, an expert on the technology side of things, but not necessarily groomed for command and diplomacy.

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Subcommander is the equivalent of being a full commander in Starfleet. Heck in one TNG episode, a Romulan warbird was commanded by a subcommander. To say she's "just a technician" isn't really fair.

Your example of Geordi seems to fit very well for the opposing argument. During season 1 when he was but a lowly lieutenant junior grade, Picard was playing around with him being in command.

I suppose Janeway was "just" a scientist before getting command too? Sisko "just" an engineer?

Well, Sisko transferred to command early in his career after the then-Captain Leyton promoted him to lieutenant commander and named him first officer of the Okinawa. We know of his engineering background because he played such an important role in the design and construction of the Defiant, but it's not clear if he did anything else in addition to that.

But I agree that it probably doesn't do a character justice to downplay his background. The Romulans wouldn't send a nobody to deal with the Federation anymore than the Federation would do the reverse.

Well, Sisko transferred to command early in his career after the then-Captain Leyton promoted him to lieutenant commander and named him first officer of the Okinawa. We know of his engineering background because he played such an important role in the design and construction of the Defiant, but it's not clear if he did anything else in addition to that.

But I agree that it probably doesn't do a character justice to downplay his background. The Romulans wouldn't send a nobody to deal with the Federation anymore than the Federation would do the reverse.

--Sran

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Leyton said something to the effect of "being more interested in ship design and engineering than command" of Sisko when trying to appeal to their past to talk Sisko into joining his coup. But yeah, Sisko saying he was one of the designers of the Defiant hints heavily at it too. Always figured Sisko was an engineering officer on the Okinawa before his promotion to Xo.

Leyton said something to the effect of "being more interested in ship design and engineering than command" of Sisko when trying to appeal to their past to talk Sisko into joining his coup. But yeah, Sisko saying he was one of the designers of the Defiant hints heavily at it too. Always figured Sisko was an engineering officer on the Okinawa before his promotion to Xo.

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I think so, too. For all we know, he may even have been chief engineer before Leyton decided his future was in a red uniform rather than gold. Also, recall Sisko's words to Eddington after his promotion: "You could always transfer from Security to Command." It's sort of a retcon, but the way Brooks says the line suggests Sisko knows something about changing career paths as goals change.

Everyone starts somewhere, and of course they can grow in their career. I just didn't see any indication that T'Rul, sent to babysit equipment for the enemy, would return to coordinate military activity at an international level. Besides, just because she's in possession of a relatively high rank doesn't mean that she came by it the way a Starfleet officer would. The Romulans may have a very different military culture than Starfleet. Consider that Sela was very high positioned at the tender age of 23. Did she earn it by climbing the ranks, or was it achieved by political and family connections? How much merit does it take to climb the Romulan military hierarchy compared to simply knowing the right people?

Leyton said something to the effect of "being more interested in ship design and engineering than command" of Sisko when trying to appeal to their past to talk Sisko into joining his coup. But yeah, Sisko saying he was one of the designers of the Defiant hints heavily at it too. Always figured Sisko was an engineering officer on the Okinawa before his promotion to Xo.

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I think so, too. For all we know, he may even have been chief engineer before Leyton decided his future was in a red uniform rather than gold. Also, recall Sisko's words to Eddington after his promotion: "You could always transfer from Security to Command." It's sort of a retcon, but the way Brooks says the line suggests Sisko knows something about changing career paths as goals change.

--Sran

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And would also even make further sense about Sisko's line of "I even recommended him for promotion!" Poor Eddington, probably like Benedict Arnold in that he was already committed to his treason after he got word of getting the promotion that caused him to act that way. Sisko did know about his dreams of wanting to sit in the big chair after all.